CHILDHOOD, a beautiful phase of life, is meant to be a safe and happy time where children can grow and learn without any worry. Sadly, for many children, home is a place of constant stress instead of happiness and safety. Family problems, like parents fighting all the time, emotional neglect or verbal abuse among family members, can cause deep sufferings that turn childhood into a trauma.

When children grow up in a home full of tension, stress, fights and verbal abuse, they only live to survive. Instead of playing, making friends and learning new things, they spend time feeling scared and unsure of what might happen next. These traumas change their mindset and the way they grow, making it hard for themselves to trust people and manage their feelings.

As adults, these children struggle with panic attacks, anxiety, depression and broken relationships. Society needs to pay more attention to this hidden, unspoken issue. Protecting our children from family issues is everyone’s responsibility. We must ensure children grow up feeling happy.

Mariam Muhammad Shafiq
Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2026